The Kiddifier
by madwriter223
Summary: Eli should really listen a little bit more when Rush says not to touch anything or not to push buttons. He really, really should. [Or what if Rush accidentally got de-aged.] HUMOR, a bit of FLUFF, CRACK taken seriously


**The Kiddifier**

Okay, perhaps Eli should listen a little bit more when Rush says not to touch anything or not to push buttons. It's not his fault that he prefers a more hands-on approach. And practically everything on the _Destiny_ is harmless to humans. Or at least not deadly.

They'd found the machine in one of the newly explored rooms. It didn't have any kind of sign or instruction on it, other than a single engraved symbol identifying it as a medical device.

Should've been harmless, right? And curiosity got the better of him, so he pushed the start button. To see what would happen. Expect he hadn't noticed that, at that moment, Rush had been standing on the pressure plate connected to the machine.

An extremely bright light filled the room. Rush gave a startled yelp, which transformed into a yell. Then a scream. But the machine didn't have an off switch so Eli couldn't really do anything to stop the process.

And when the light dimmed and Eli could see again, he really wished he hadn't pushed that button. Instead of the scientist, there was a kid sitting on the pressure plate. He was dressed in Rush's clothes, the too big material was hanging off him like drapes. The kid kinda looked like Rush though, with the hair and the eyes and oh crap, he had the glare down pat.

"Eli." said kid-Rush, his squeaky little voice sounding brutally pissed off. "I am going to murder you in your sleep."

Eli swallowed thickly, still staring. "Yeeeaaah, I kinda figured you'd say that."

.*~*.

Becker walked into the infirmary, feeling more than a little confused. "I brought the things you radioed for." He said to TJ, indicating the six pelts and the knife he held. "Where do you want them?"

"Take them to Rush." She pointed at one of the occupied beds. "He's the one that wanted them."

Becker blinked. Then shook his head and blinked harder. "That's a kid."

"There's been some kind of accident with a new machine. Mentally he's still Rush though, so try to treat him normally."

The private scratched his head. "It's Rush, but with a kid's body?"

"Essentially."

Becker frowned worriedly. "I don't think protein paste will be enough for him. Kids need more nutrients, right?"

"We assume it's temporary, so don't worry about it for now." She gave him a nod. "Just give him the stuff and try not to stare."

Becker saluted (as well as he could with his arms full) and marched towards where Rush was sitting.

"Doctor Rush?" he called, interrupting the argument he was having with Wray. "I brought the pelts you requested."

"There, see?" Rush pointed at him. "Give me half an hour and I'll be ready to get back to work."

Wray shook her head. "No matter what you say, not before Young returns from Earth. And definitely not without an escort."

"I need to check that machine." Rush hissed through clenched teeth.

"Eli is doing that." Wray replied stubbornly.

"Eli is the reason I'm in this mess in the first place." Rush snarled back and that looked really unsettling on a kid's face.

Wray sighed heavily and rubbed her temples in exasperation. "Rush, I really don't have the time to deal with you today. Just do what you have to with the pelts and we'll talk about it later."

"Fine." Rush conceded, leaning backwards slightly. "But be aware I'm not going to stay here, Young or no Young."

"You're impossible." Wray hissed at him and left the infirmary.

Rush turned to Becker and the private resisted the urge to fidget. Instead he held up the pelts. "Where do you want these?"

"Just put them here." Rush patted the cot and shifted to the side. "I'll need help with this, so grab your knife."

"Yes sir. What do I do?"

Rush looked the pelts over, running a hand against them. He selected two, then handed the short haired one to Becker. "Cut that into strips about two centimetres wide. I'll need about eight." He instructed. He grabbed the extra knife and started cutting the second pelt in half. "Try to make them even."

"Sure thing. Can I ask what we're making?"

"Shoes."

.*~*.

Becker held the pelt wrapped around the small foot, while Rush tied the strips around it. One by the toes, one by the heel and one around the ankle. It came out pretty sturdy.

"Wow, Doctor Rush." Becker commented when the 'shoe' was done. "Were you in the scouts or something?"

"No." Rush grabbed the other half of the pelt and placed his other foot in the middle, then wrapped the edges around it. "I was poor." Then he tied three next strips in the same way, securing the pelts.

Last Rush tied the two extra strips into one and wrapped it around his waist like a belt. The too large t-shirt he was wearing still looked like a dress on him, but now at least there wasn't so much of a draft. "There. Thank you for the assistance, Private. You may return to your duties." Rush nodded at Becker and climbed down the cot.

"You need any more help?" The private called after him, resisting the urge to follow.

"Not necessary." Rush replied without turning around.

.*~*.

"Rush, what are you doing out of the infirmary?" Wray demanded when she noticed him in the corridor.

"Camille, I am not a child." Rush retorted, hands on his hips. "I do not need permission to return to my work."

Wray rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll escort you to the Apple Core, Brody can help you out till Young decides on a military minder."

Rush curled his upper lip in annoyance. "I repeat. I. Am. Not. A. Child."

"You are also barely over three feet tall, you won't even reach the console."

She had a point. Rush huffed through his nose. "Very well. Radio Eli and tell him to transfer the scan results to the Apple Core."

"My pleasure." Wray answered, mollified. "Ingenious shoes, by the way."

.*~*.

It was almost like a zoo, Greer decided as he neared the Apple Core. It looked like there were at least twenty people gathered by the doorway, talking and sniggering as they all strained to look inside. Something told Greer that Rush was definitely not having a good day.

He stepped up to the group and cleared his throat pointedly. It was loud enough for the civilians to hear him and for at least half of them to glance back at him.

"Don't you people have work to do?" he asked, making sure to stand in an intimidating fashion, with a dash of a threatening stance thrown in for better effect. He took a step forward and the group parted around him, like fish from a seal.

It was very satisfying.

He walked undisturbed into the Apple Core and headed straight for Rush.

"Hey there, Doc." He grinned, looking the scientist over. "You look different. You done something with your hair?"

Rush's tiny hands clenched into fists and his shoulders drew upwards briefly. It took an actual visible effort for Rush to relax and resume working. Greer frowned.

A laugh sounded from the gathered crowd and he glanced over his shoulder at them. "Want me to make them leave?" he asked quietly, moving so that Rush was blocked from sight of the group. He ignored their hissed pleas to move out of the way.

The kiddified scientist looked up at him after a few moments and gave Greer a thoughtful look. "I'll need you to pass on a message from me."

"Sure, Doc." Greer smirked.

.-*-.

"Okay, everyone, listen up. I've got an important announcement to make." The group quietened down, looking at him expectantly. "Doctor Rush wants you all to know that, kid body or not, he is still fully capable of venting the atmosphere out of all of your rooms. While you're sleeping. Or trapped inside, he's pretty much got remote control of all the doors."

The gathered people shared uncertain looks. "He wouldn't really do that, right?" One of the braver ones asked.

Greer grinned viciously. "With the mood he's in right now? I'd find a new safe place to sleep from now on." He grinned wider, making sure to show all of his teeth. "Now get."

Within a minute the corridor was empty. Greer smiled to himself in satisfaction, then turned around and marched back inside.

"So, Doc, is it the hair? Cause something is definitely different about you."

.*~*.

"Doctor Rush?" Eli poked his head into the Apple Core, smiling sheepishly at the kiddified scientist, currently sitting on his console. "Are you still mad? Cause my shift just started and... well..."

Rush stared at him with a blank expression, which was twice as creepy on a kid's face.

"Come on in, Eli." Brody called, waving his hand invitingly. "I'm sure Rush hasn't booby-trapped your workstation or the Kino programming."

Eli froze and edged backwards slightly.

"Calm down, Eli." Rush said with a small snort. "I would never intentionally endanger your well-being while there is work to be done. You're much too valuable to the mission."

"But when there's no work to be done?" Eli asked hesitantly.

"Oh, you will pay dearly then." Rush remarked pleasantly, looking back to his own console. "Yes indeed, you will."

Eli paled and took a step back. "I'm gonna go work somewhere else today."

Brody snickered, watching them with rapt amusement.

.*~*.

Some time later, a soldier marched into the Apple Core and saluted. "Corporal Barnes, reporting for duty."

"What duty?" Rush asked, staring at her in bemusement.

"Rush minding, sir. Colonel Young appointed me."

"Did he? How thoughtful of him." Rush sighed, rubbing his temple wearily. "And where is the illustrious leader then?"

"He is currently in conference with Lieutenant Johansen and Miss Wray. He told me to inform you he will speak with you as soon as he is done with them."

Rush made a thoughtful noise.

"Colonel Young also ordered me not to get in the way while you work, so I'll just sit here and read a book. Please tell me if you need anything." She sat down on the bench near the door and took a paperback out of her pocket.

Rush blinked in surprise then nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Brody stared from the corporal to Rush then back again, but a sharp look had him focusing on his own console again.

.*~*.

"You know, finding you in here working instead of the infirmary like I told you to somehow does not surprise me." Young remarked, walking into the Apple Core.

"Do you want a cookie?" Rush asked, looking up from his spot sitting on the console.

"Is that even safe?" Young gestured towards him, eyeing his position. "What if you accidentally push something? Or fall?"

"I've taken my current size into consideration. And Corporal Barnes has kept a very careful eye on me, despite pretending to read a book." He threw her a pointed look, but she just lifted the book higher, covering her face. "What did Homeworld Command say? I assume they spoke a lot during the three hours it took you to come back."

Young shrugged. "This apparently happens fairly often. I've got a list of recommendations about health care and nutrition while you're like this, but other than that we're on our own."

"Joy. Then am I free to be left to my own devices or am I to still have a babysitter breathing down my neck? No offence to the corporal."

"None taken, sir."

"The minder stays, Rush." Young said firmly, then nodded at Barnes. "If you get sick of him, radio me and I'll find a replacement." She nodded, and he turned back to Rush. "But until you're back to normal, i_Destiny_/i is too dangerous for a child."

"I'm not a child." Rush argued sullenly.

"For a person your size, with diminished strength and speed." Young corrected, rolling his eyes. "Understood?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"No. You also have no choice in taking breaks to eat something. One of the health recommendations is that you take breaks at least every three hours and eat something during each one. We don't know how long this will last and we don't want you getting scurvy or overworking your new child body."

"I've managed to crack that part of the programming. It should wear off within thirty six to forty eight hours. Eli confirmed, before you ask."

Young nodded. "Great. It still doesn't get you out of taking a break now." He smiled teasingly. "Come on, maybe we can find some ice cream for you."

The glare Rush sent him was both murderous and exasperated. An interesting combination.

.*~*.

Rush blew upwards, trying to get his hair out of his face. He tugged the few stubborn locks back behind his ear, but give it a few minutes and they'd slip out again. Gravity was not his friend when he was leaning over a console, no matter his age.

A giggle caught his attention and he looked up at the entryway. Chloe stood there, lips pursed tightly to hide her smile. It wasn't really working.

"Can I help you?" he asked, tucking his hair behind his ear again.

Chloe pursed her lips tighter, but her eyes wrinkled in merriment. Rush narrowed his, but she just smiled widely.

"Would you like some help?" she asked, stepping closer.

"No, the calculations are fairly standard. I'll manage."

"I meant with your hair." She tugged gently on the strands at the back of his head. "I could tie it back for you."

"Into two lovely pigtails, I assume." Rush deadpanned, raising an unamused eyebrow.

"Don't be a grumpy pants." Chloe teased and stepped behind him, gathering his hair into her hands. "Have you got a string or something else I can use?"

"No."

"I've got one." Barnes offered, reaching into her pocket. "It frayed off from my jacket yesterday, but it should hold."

"Thank you, Corporal." Rush grumbled, glaring over his shoulder.

"If you hate it, you can just take it off." Chloe said, releasing his hair. She separated a semi-thick strand from each temple and pulled them backwards, connecting them at the back. She tugged and pulled on them a bit to gather them more firmly, then Barnes deftly tied the string around the spot they connected.

"There." Chloe said proudly. "Shake your head, see if it holds."

Rush obeyed, shaking his head vigorously. The tie held and kept his hair well of out his eyes. He leaned forward, bending his head as if over a console, and still his hair was kept firmly out of the way. "Congratulations, ladies. Your hairdressing has been successful."

"You're welcome." Chloe smiled brightly and grasped his hand, tugging briefly. "Now come on. TJ's schedule says you need to eat something now."

"A nice snack like a good little boy?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"Don't pretend your stomach isn't growling." Chloe pointed out reasonably. "It really is easier if you just give in."

"Fine." Rush sighed heavily and slid off the console and onto the floor. "I can eat some fruit."

Chloe tapped a finger against her mouth. "I think Becker should still have some of that honey we had yesterday. Growing boys need something sweet, don't you think?."

Rush scowled up at her. "Don't you start."

She grinned cheekily. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You really are adorable."

"I know where you sleep, Chloe." Rush said in a dangerous tone, walking towards the entryway.

"Okay, no more teasing." She assented.

Rush stopped by the entrance and turned to Barnes. "You are welcome to come as well. It wouldn't do for Young to see me without my escort."

"I was coming anyway, but thanks for the invite." She replied, walking up to the pair. As they made their way to the mess hall, she turned to Chloe. "Being a kid has made him much more agreeable, don't you think?" she remarked quietly.

"Oh, he's actually agreeable most of the time. You just need to know how to talk to him." Chloe grinned knowingly, while Rush snorted at them both.

.*~*.

"Doctor Rush?" Lisa called as she walked into the Apple Core, her improvised cane clacking against the walls.

"What is it?" Rush answered, looking up at her. He knocked his knuckles against the console to indicate where he was and Park turned to face him.

"I came to collect you for dinner." She smiled. "I think they roasted some fresh meat tonight."

"Meat?" Brody's head snapped up. "Which meat, from that cow thing or the dragon thing?"

"Meat is meat." Park pointed out with a shrug, turning her head towards Brody's voice. "It does smell delicious though."

Rush rubbed his temples. He still had more work to do, but then again real meat was a delicacy nowadays. "Very well, I'll go willingly." He saved his analysis , then climbed down. He stretched with a small grunt, his back aching slightly from staying in a hunched up position too long.

"Can we all go?" Franklin asked with an eager expression.

Rush snorted. "Are you a grown man or not?" He asked, and walked up to Park. He touched her knee to let her know where exactly he was, and she reached blindly towards him. Rush allowed her to touch his head, and she made a thoughtful noise.

"You are very small." she said, matter of fact. "Did TJ do an estimate on your physical age?"

Rush grasped her wrist and tugged her in the direction of the door, then let go. "I'm about five terran years old."

Park patted his head to judge his height. "I think you might be smaller than average for that age."

Rush shrugged, and walked out the door. "It's a family trait. I'll grow out of it, as I'm sure you remember."

Park's cane clacked against the floor as they walked towards the mess hall. "Did you notice any other changes? Has your eyesight improved, for example."

"I hadn't needed glasses at this age, so I can't say it's an improvement."

"More like a re-do." Brody offered, following after them with Franklin and Barnes.

"A fitting description." Rush agreed. "As far as I remember, I am now as I was at this age."

Park hummed thoughtfully. Then she sniffed. "Oh, I can smell the meat. I think Bethany made that mushroom sauce again."

"Yum." Franklin murmured, to the agreement of the group. Rush merely rolled his eyes and pushed down his sudden desire to yawn. Dinner should wake him up properly.

.*~*.

Colonel Young walked into the Apple Core and smiled at the kiddified scientist. "Rush." he called softly and bleary eyes looked up at him with a glare. "Finish up what you're doing, your shift is over."

"I do not have shifts and I'll finish when I'm done." Rush replied stubbornly, rubbing at his eyes.

"The child specialist said that you'll need at least ten hours of sleep to function normally, so until you're back to an adult, you do have shift work." Rush's glare intensified. It might've been more effective if his eyes weren't so bloodshot. "Rush, you do not have a choice in this." He lowered his voice. "And I think you'd prefer walking to your room by yourself _now_ than being so dead tired you'd have to be carried later on."

Rush pursed his lips stubbornly, but after a moment of thought relented. "Very well, Colonel. I will rest."

Young waited till Rush had shut down his console, then simply grabbed the kiddified scientist under the armpits and lifted him off and onto the floor.

Rush hissed and looked like he wanted nothing more than to kick him. "That was unnecessary." He snarled and stalked out of the Apple Core like an offended cat.

Young followed after him to make sure he actually went to his room and not just to a different work station.

.*~*.

Rush climbed onto the bed and under the blankets. He settled himself in the middle of the mattress and lay down with a huff.

"Will you tell me a story as well, Colonel? To complete my humiliation." He grumbled, small hands clenched in the blanket.

"Sure, why not." Young shrugged and flopped onto the bed next to the scientist.

"I was joking."

"Might as well, I'm already lying down." Young shrugged. "Long, long ago there lived a race of very old people called the Ancients."

"I'm thrilled already." Rush snarked in a flat tone.

"Shut up. This race built a ship and they launched it into space. But they forgot to put any people on it, so the ship sailed through the universe all alone, waiting for her crew. Meanwhile, on Earth, there was a wizard who very much wanted to be on that ship. He needed to solve a spell to do that, so he spent every hour of every day for many years trying to solve it. But he couldn't do it alone, so as these stories are usually about teamwork, he needed to find another wizard or witch who had the ability to help him. The wizard decided to use a trick to find the right person – he hid a puzzle in a game and waited for someone to solve it. When someone did, a young person who didn't even know he could do magic, the wizard whisked him away to his castle and got the young man to help him with his spell. They solved it together, and by combining their magics, they opened a portal to that ship sailing all alone. The portal was very powerful, so many other people were sucked through it as well. But the wizard didn't mind and the ship was happy to finally have a crew. The old wizard made himself at home and everyone else had no choice but to follow his example. And they sailed through the universe together, happily ever after." Young glanced at Rush and smiled. "Good story?"

Rush gave him a long look, then sniffed quietly. "You forgot about the soldiers."

"I think 'knights' fit the story more." Young patted Rush's legs through the blanket. "But that one I'll tell you tomorrow."

"You might not get a chance, Colonel. I might be back to normal by then."

Young's brows knitted. "You said forty eight hours."

"I said around. I never give any specifics."

"Unless it suits you."

"Potayto, potahto."

Young snorted and rolled his eyes. "A lot of work." he muttered to himself, then ruffled Rush's hair. "Go to sleep. I'll stay with you till you do."

Rush grimaced. "No need. I assure you I am capable of falling asleep on my own."

"True, but I don't trust you on the 'staying in bed' part. The minute I leave you alone you're gonna be either scribbling in that notebook of yours or trying to climb right back up onto a console in the Apple Core."

Rush refused to admit that had been his plan.

"Just sleep, Rush." Young repeated, tone soft. "Your work will still be here tomorrow."

"Fine." Rush grumbled, then turned onto his side, back facing Young. "But wake me in six hours, I need to run a system check on that machine and compare the algorithms with medical equipment."

Young nodded, though he had no intention of doing so. Little kids needed their rest, Rush or not.

.*~*.

Of course Young hadn't woken him, that rat bastard. And he'd even turned off the alarm in Rush's phone. It was as if the colonel was doing this just to spite him. Then again, Rush had slept through the entire night. Perhaps he'd needed the rest after all.

Rush was just finishing his shoes when someone knocked on his door. He quickly did the last one up, then jumped off the bed. He had to stand on his tip-toes to reach the doorswitch, but he managed well enough.

"Sergeant Greer. Lieutenant James." He nodded at the two soldiers standing by his door, and stepped out of his room.

"Morning." James answered politely, her arms folded behind her back.

Greer, however, grinned widely. "Hey, Teeny Doc. Had any pleasant dreams?"

"No. I dreamt of clowns offering me pink candy-floss" Rush answered in a wry tone.

Greer mock shuddered. "Ew, the horror."

Rush snorted. "Are you two the designated babysitters for today?"

"Nah, we're just for the morning."

"We have orders to escort you to the mess hall, and then to the infirmary for a secondary check-up." James added.

"And I assume that refusing your company will get me nowhere." Rush already knew the answer to that one.

"Orders are orders." James said, matter of fact.

Rush rolled his eyes discreetly. "Very well then."

"Great." Greer clapped his hands and leaned down slightly. "You need to go potty before we go eat some breakfast num-nums?"

Rush clicked his tongue and looked him dead in the eye. "Yes." He said, voice calm and serious.

Greer stared at him in surprise, mouth open slightly.

James cleared her throat. "I could go as well." The tight corners of her lips bellied her amusement.

Greer gave her a side-long look, then straightened with a shrug. He knew when he was beat. "Allow me to escort you, then."

.*~*.

"You're still in perfect health." TJ proclaimed, setting her scanner down.

Rush cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you're surprised because?"

She shrugged non-committally. "This is an unusual situation."

Rush couldn't argue with that. "Am I allowed to return to work now?"

"Not quite yet." She got up and walked over to the counter and set her medi-scanner in its charger. "You'll have to wait for Corporal Barnes to join you."

Rush gave her an unimpressed look. "This is entirely ridiculous, you know that."

"I think of it as erring on the side of caution." She replied in a curt tone, and he sighed. He rubbed at the left side of his neck, an odd tension in his shoulder. Barnes arrived within five minutes, and Rush pushed the sensation out of his mind.

.*~*.

A couple of hours later, Young entered the Apple Core and walked up to the kiddified scientist. "Come on, you, break time."

"Then go take a break." Rush didn't even look up at him, just kept reading the data on his screen.

"Rush." Young's tone brooked no argument and he was rewarded with a miniature glare.

"This is a waste of time." He hissed. "It's bad enough I have to deal with the corporal hanging off me everywhere I go. I took enough 'breaks' yesterday. I don't need any more."

Young gave him a flat look. "The breaks are HQ mandated. You can argue all you want, you're still taking one." Then he sighed and leaned forward. "Come on, Rush. We'll play chess and you can pretend to be a child-genius trouncing a moron adult. One who can't ever cope with how soundly he'll be defeated."

Rush gave him a considering look, then relaxed. "What do you mean 'pretend'?" Rush raised a mocking eyebrow, but did climb off the console.

Young rolled his eyes and followed him out.

.*~*.

By Eli's standards, the Kino was definitely sneaky. It flew in low, about an inch from the ground. It circled the work consoles and came to stop right behind Rush's. It moved upwards slowly, until it was positioned well above Rush's head. It then slowly shifted around, so that it could record the face of the currently miniature scientist.

Rush shifted to a different part of the console he was sitting on. He pushed a few buttons and dragged his fingers down a touch screen. The Kino deactivated and fell to the ground with a loud clang.

Brody blinked in surprised. "Did you do that?" he asked, but Rush, of course, ignored him.

Rush climbed down from the console and calmly padded over to the downed Kino. He picked it up and walked over to the door it came from. He looked blankly down the corridor for a few seconds, then threw the Kino forward, rolling it like a bowling ball.

Brody listened as it thudded a few times then snorted to himself when he heard Eli's voice.

"Th- thanks, Doctor Rush. Uuuum... I thought we should record you? For future reference?"

Rush turned on his heel and wordlessly walked back to his console, climbing back up onto it.

Brody wisely refrained from commenting.

.*~*.

Barnes was leaning against the wall when Rush exited the bathroom. He gave her a mild glare.

"You waiting for me while I'm in the loo is unnecessary. What will happen, I'll get sucked in?" He groused.

She shrugged. "I have my orders, sir. You'll have to take it up with Colonel Young."

Rush grumbled something under his breath and marched back to the AppleCore. The corporal followed a little way behind him, giving him some space.

.*~*.

Private Becker walked into the Apple Core and made his way to Rush's console. "Doctor Rush, here." He placed one of the blue fruit they'd found on the last planet in front of him. "You have to eat this."

"And why would I do that?"

"It's on the list of nutritional requirements for a child body Colonel Young brought from HQ yesterday. So you need to eat that."

Rush's eye twitched, then he leaned back over his console. "Fine, I'll eat it in a minute."

"I'd really prefer if you would at least take a bite."

Rush glanced back up. "And I assume you won't leave until I do?"

"I really must insist."

"Did Colonel Young put you up to this?"

"No, I'm just insolent, sir." Becker said with a small smile.

Rush rolled his eyes but reached for the fruit.

.*~*.

Rush shifted his shoulders again with a low grunt. There was an itch against his spine, and it's proven to be too distracting to do any real work. His knees ached slightly and he shifted, his toes curling tightly in his shoes.

Barnes eyed him, a slight frown on her face. The kiddified scientist had been fidgeting since lunch. He couldn't seem to be able to sit still, he kept shifting and stretching with increasing frequency. Considering how still he usually was, even yesterday with a child's body, it was unsettling.

Barnes set down her book (she'd already read it six times) and got up. She walked up to the console and tapped his shoulder.

"Doctor Rush?" She leaned closer to him, and she was fairly sure his cheeks were slightly flushed. "Are you feeling all right?"

He swallowed and clenched his fingers tensely. "I think it is time for a break." He said reluctantly. "A walk will do me some good."

Barnes nodded, and surreptitiously helped him down from the console. She didn't comment on how shaky his footing was. If Rush didn't get visibly better within half-an-hour, she was radioing TJ.

.*~*.

They had been on their way to the garden dome when Rush stopped suddenly in the middle of the corridor, swaying slightly.

"Doctor Rush?" Barnes crouched down facing the scientist, and his face was definitely red.

Rush breathed in slowly, as if inhaling was causing him difficulties. "Take me to the infirmary." He said, then passed out.

.*~*.

Young tapped his fingers against the examination table Rush was laid out across. "And? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing I can ascertain." TJ shrugged helplessly. "The fever is high, but it's not life-threatening. I'm more concerned about the physical issues Barnes reported. Something might be going on with his child body."

"Like what?"

"No idea. The scans still show he's healthy. And he seemed fine when I saw him after breakfast."

"He started fidgeting at lunch." Barnes said, glancing at the unconscious scientist. "He kept flexing his shoulders like they were bothering him."

"Could it be another virus? Like that one from the water." Wray asked, brows knitted together.

TJ shook her head. "No, I tested his blood for anything out of the ordinary, microscopic or biological. He's clean."

"Then why is he unconscious?" Wray gestured towards Rush.

"It's probably due to his fever. It's not a danger to his life, like I said, but he'd be delirious if he was awake."

"What's that number there?" Greer asked suddenly, pointing at one of the readings.

TJ glanced at it, then went back to her medi-scanner. "That's his weight. Its in non-terran units."

The corner of Greer's mouth twisted to the side. "Is it supposed to be growing?"

TJ blinked and look at him. "It's what?"

Greer pointed at the number. "It's gone up at least four times since I got here."

"That's not possible." TJ enlarged the weight readout, and the graph showed a clear increase. "Huh." She enlarged another readout, and it showed a similar graph. "His body length's increased as well. It's still increasing, in fact. They both are."

"Kids grow." Wray remarked absent-mindedly.

"Not this fast." TJ did some quick calculations in her mind. "At this rate he'll grow an inch within the next five minutes."

"He's... growing back into adulthood?" Eli offered and the others all turned to look at him. "What?"

TJ checked her readouts again. "I think he might be right. Eli, you said Rush's change would last about thirty six to forty eight hours, yes?"

Eli nodded. "That's what the system protocols said. At least if we converted their time frame to ours correctly."

"There's no other explanation, then. The timing fits and he's increasing his body mass at an accelerated rate. It makes sense."

"What about his fever?" Young asked.

"It's probably connected." TJ bit her lip as she thought. "His body will require a tremendous amount of energy and exertion to grow back into his previous body this fast. That might be the reason his temperature is so high."

"And where is he getting the energy from?" Wray wondered. "Shouldn't he eat something?"

"I'll attach an IV when his body weight starts dropping, but for now it's increasing steadily."

"Maybe the machine is secretly feeding his previous weight back to him somehow." Eli said, reading through the scanner results. "That had to have gone somewhere when he was a kid."

"We'll just keep an eye on his stats and go from there." TJ declared, placing her hands against her hips. "The machine _had_ been labelled as 'medical', so it should work out okay."

"Hey, guys?" Greer called suddenly, staring at Rush's body. "If he's growing that fast, is it safe for him to be laying flat on a steel table? Won't his spine get skewed or something?"

TJ's brows drew together. "It might." She agreed softly.

"We could put him in the water tank in the garden dome." Eli suggested. "It's big enough to fit him, and the water might cool him down so he doesn't get brain damage."

Wray gestured at Rush's body. "We don't know if it's even necessary. He might be fine."

"And he might not." Greer pointed out.

"We're not risking it." Young decided, staring at Rush. "We'll put him in the tank as a precaution. Necessary or not, it won't hurt."

"I'll get the kino sled." Eli offered, but Wray stopped him before he could leave the room.

"We could just take a sheet and carry him in that, like in a stretcher." She said. "It'll be much quicker."

Young gave a curt nod. "We'll do that."

.*~*.

By the time they had reached the garden, Rush had started shaking. Not like a seizure, but rather a continuous trembling of his whole body. They'd thought that his fever had spiked and it was now cooking his brain, but his temperature was at the same level as in the infirmary. It was probably another part of the accelerated growth. It did cause them to hurry, though.

Young ordered all the unnecessary personnel out of the dome, insisting on locking the doors behind them to prevent any peeking from the others. Only Eli, TJ and the colonel himself stayed, and Eli rather thought Rush would have appreciated the privacy.

They had to undress the kid body before placing him in the water. Rush had grown so much, the leather straps he'd used to secure the pelts to his feet had been biting into his skin. They left red gouges when they were removed, but those healed quickly enough. They hefted him into the tank and into the water, and Rush's trembling lessened slightly.

As Rush grew, both TJ and Eli continued scanning him. TJ kept a close eye on his vitals, while Eli charted his growth and compared it with the algorithms and schemata he'd managed to get out of the machine. It was impressive how well they matched – Eli was almost certain that the machine was controlling the rate of Rush's growth, even though they were in different parts of the _Destiny_.

It took Rush several hours to grow back into his adult body. Thankfully an IV hadn't been needed, as Rush's body mass had increased at an unchanging, steady rate. His fever went down around the time physical puberty kicked in. And truth be told, seeing body hair literally sprouting from bare skin like moss was freaky. The beard and hair was quite frankly impressive. They grew across the water like snakes and easily reached past Rush's pelvis.

"He's going to need a shave with a weed-whacker." Young commented, his cheek resting on his upturned hand.

"Maybe he'll like it and leave it as it is?" Eli mused, but Young gave him an unimpressed look. "What, you never know."

TJ scanned Rush again, then compared the results with the previous ones. "I think it's finished." She declared, grabbing the scientist's wrist to check his pulse. "His vitals are steady, he hasn't gained any mass in nearly half-an-hour and his fever is completely gone."

Eli checked his portable mini-console, reading the machine's stats. "The machine seems to be dormant again. The systems have shut down and there is no energy output." It had stayed semi-active throughout Rush's change. "I told you it was controlling his growth rate."

"Does that mean we can fish him out?" Young inquired, cocking his head to the side.

"Or we could just wake him up." TJ offered instead, putting her scanner away. "Check his cerebral and motor functions."

"I feel fine." Rush replied, and they all turned to look at him. He was still floating in the water, but his eyes were open and he was looking upwards. "Confused, but fine."

"Can you tell where you are?" Young asked, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him upwards.

Rush grunted as he moved into a sitting position. "My name is Nicholas Rush, I'm a scientist on board the Ancient ship i_Destiny_/i, currently inside the garden dome." He looked down at himself. "I am once again an adult physically, although I look much more like a sasquatch than I should." He looked at them expectantly. "Could someone explain this?"

"You grew up again." Eli said with a shrug. "Only really quickly."

TJ rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Rush. "Sometime after lunch, you collapsed with a high fever. Your body mass started increasing at a steady rate, then the physical changes connected with hormonal growth and puberty started to develop. I'll have to check the time-frame, but I think it took you about four to five hours to reach your original age."

Rush nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He leaned heavily against the side of the water tank and tried to heave himself upwards. His arms shook from the effort and his legs refused to cooperate properly, though.

TJ and Young both grabbed him under one arm and helped him exit the tank. Young grabbed the blanket they had used as a stretcher earlier and wrapped it around Rush's shoulders.

"You're going to the infirmary, I want TJ to do a complete examination on you." the Colonel informed him firmly, and Rush answered with a glare.

"I feel fine." He insisted and took a few steps by himself to prove it. His right knee buckled after three steps, but Young and TJ caught him before he hit the floor. They pulled him to the side, towards the small decorative lawn and pushed him down to sit on the grass.

"Eli, get a kino sled." Young ordered, then sat down next to Rush.

"On it." Eli saluted and hurried out of the room. Young looked at the scientist, and patted his knee.

Rush gave him a brief glance, then closed his eyes and leaned his head backwards with a deep sigh. He didn't move even when TJ sat down on his other side and checked his pulse again.

.*~*.

"Are you sure you want to cut all of it off?" Chloe asked, eyeing Rush as he sat cross-legged on an infirmary bed. "I'd kill to have hair this thick."

"You're welcome to it." Rush replied, gathering his hair behind himself into one hand. He held it tightly and grabbed the scissors, then started cutting just above his grip. "You can use it to practice braids."

"Ha ha." Chloe huffed, helping hold the blanket of hair steady. "If we found some way to improvise knitting needles, I could make a sweater."

"That would be one itchy sweater." TJ remarked, checking a sample of Rush's blood via microscope. The machine next to her beeped and the results of the blood tests popped up on the little screen. "Your blood looks good. Literally everything is within perfect levels, from your sugar to oxygen saturation." She looked at him. "You are in perfect health, at least blood wise."

Rush made the final cut and pulled the long hair forward so that he could finally see it. "Huh." He stred at it for a second, then set it aside as he turned to TJ. "I assume you want to do further tests."

"Yes. I want to use the deep-tissue scanner, check whether or not everything is in its right place."

Rush snorted and gathered his beard up into one hand, then started cutting.

Chloe looked to TJ. "What about how weak he is?"

"I think it's simply because his body is exhausted. He did grow three decades in several hours." TJ pointed out with a shrug. "The Colonel promised to see the de-aging specialist before he returns from Homeworld Command. He should bring back another list of recommendations, just in case."

"Oh joy." was the dry reply. Rush finished cutting his beard, and lifted it up as well, eyeing the length. He set it on top his hair and quickly snipped the loose strands of his moustache.

"Let me guess – you're going to ignore every recommendation of taking breaks, aren't you?" Chloe teased with a cheeky grin.

"I've wasted enough time."

"You were a kid for barely two days!" Chloe laughed. She eyed the uneven ends of Rush's hair and beard. "Do you need some help evening that?"

"Not particularly. I'll borrow a razor from Young for my face, but the rest doesn't really matter to me."

Chloe made a thoughtful hum. "I could trim it short. That way it won't go into your face when you're bent over your console."

Rush considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, then."

Suddenly TJ jumped to her feet and marched up to Rush. He bent forward and started pressing her fingers against Rush's sternum and along his ribs. She had a deep frown on her face the entire time, and Rush's brows furrowed in response.

"What is it?" He demanded.

"You had chest surgery." TJ replied. She took a step back, but kept staring at Rush's chest.

"I am aware." Rush eyed her in confused suspicion.

She finally met his gaze. "Then where is the scar?"

He blinked and looked down. He checked with his own fingers, pressing and tugging, and indeed. There was no scar. There hadn't been a large one, true, but it had been big enough to be noticeable. He twisted to check his side and that one was gone as well. And the one on the underside of his left arm. And those two on his heel. That little one across his finger as well.

"It appears that all of my scars are missing." He said finally. "Including the one from my appendectomy."

"We'll do the deep-tissue scan now." TJ decided and went to get the scanner ready.

Rush didn't argue once during the procedure.

.*~*.

Young blinked. "Could you run that by me again?"

TJ shrugged helplessly. "I really don't have any other way to say it. Everything that's happened to his body since he had been five is now erased. All his scars, gone. The damage from that tracker in his chest, gone. Markings on his bones from past breaks, gone. The fillings from his teeth, gone. Even his appendix grew back." She sat down hard and threw her hands to the up. "He's a perfectly healthy human male with no physical marks of past traumas. He now has a practically brand new body."

Young stared at her incredulously. Then he blinked. "Now we know what that machine does."

"I'll say." TJ sighed. "It's the ultimate healing equipment. It erases every damage that has been done to your body, and leaves you in perfect health."

Young cocked his head appreciatively. "We could use that."

"True, but we don't know the long term effects. Rush is still very weak, and he'll need regular exercise for a while to build up muscle strength." Young snorted. He had a feeling he's gonna be saddled with wrangling Rush for that. TJ went on. "And he might be more susceptible to disease. I can't exactly check whether or not his past vaccinations had made it into his bloodstream during the change."

Young nodded. "Where is Rush, anyway?"

"Sleeping." TJ pointed at the cot on the other side of the infirmary. "I had to add some sedative to his tea, he wanted to see that machine immediately." She chuckled. "Chloe had to confiscate the clothes she'd brought him so that he couldn't sneak out when I wasn't looking."

"I take it he's feeling much better." Young chuckled as well. "Try to keep him here till tomorrow. We'll figure out a plan of action then."

"Yes, sir."

.-*-. _Epilogue_ .-*-.

"Hey, Doc? We got a favour to ask you."

.*~*.

Young rubbed his forehead, a headache forming behind his eyes. He felt like strangling someone. A certain Scottish bastard, to be exact. "I forbid you from going near that machine."

"It was my idea, Sir." Greer said quickly, but Rush scoffed.

"I am capable of saying 'no', ." He remarked in a wry tone. "You would be surprised by how well I manage the pronunciation."

TJ finished her scan and read the results. "Looks the same as Rush. A healthy five year old."

Park blinked up at her and smiled, one of her front teeth missing. "I've forgotten how big everything looked at this size."

"I think you simply hadn't noticed it the first time." TJ smiled back. She grabbed a small pen-light and shone it against Lisa's left eye while covering the right one. After a few seconds, she switched eyes, and repeated the exam. "Pupils react normally."

"And I see fine." Park couldn't stop grinning. "Wonderfully, clearly and in colour." Greer kissed the top of her head tenderly.

Rush gestured pointedly at the pair and lifted both eyebrows at Young.

The colonel huffed. "Fine, I can see why." He sighed heavily. "But you're the one who will explain it to Homeworld Command."

"Camille's already left to do just that." Rush replied with a small smirk.

Young gave him a surprised look. "You told Camille before you told me?"

Rush spread his hands in a shrug.

Young pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nevermind. I want that machine under lock and key for at least a month. That should be enough to ascertain what the after effects are."

"Very well." Rush agreed. "It'll give me more time to run some in depth checks on the programming."

TJ stepped back from the bed Park was sitting on. "I'm done. I'll need a bit of time to analyse the samples, but I think it's safe to say you're healthy."

"Yey." Park lifted her hands and waved them around slightly. She was still grinning and kicking her feet merrily.

Rush sat down next to her and handed her the new straps and the pelts he's used to fashion shoes. "Pay attention. I'll do one and you do the other."

"Okie dokie!" Park cheered, then sobered slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm just so exited to see again."

Rush made a non-committal noise and begun instructing her on how to assemble her new footwear.

Greer watched them for a short while, then walked up to where Young and TJ were standing.

"Sir?" Greer stood at attention. "When you release the Kiddifier, I want to go next."

Young gave him an expectant look. "And why would that be, Sergeant?"

"I'm looking forward to having two kidneys again, sir."

Young hmm-ed. "Shouldn't Volker go next, then? I'm sure he'd look forward to not having kidney failure."

TJ shook her head. "Actually, if Volker's condition is genetic, a re-growth would not help. He would merely need a transplant again."

"That's why I wanna go next. If I have two kidneys already, we could just do the whole transplant thing again."

Young exhaled deeply, and gave a curt nod. "But discuss it with me first. I don't want to wake up one day and have a gaggle of kids running around on the ship."

TJ laughed at the image.

END


End file.
